REVIEW: Denzel Curry casts a spell on The Novo on ‘TA13OO’ tour

Touring for his latest album “TA13OO” (pronounced “taboo”), Florida rapper Denzel Curry delivered an aggressive and dynamic show at The Novo Friday night — his brand of cloud trap featured impeccable flows and clever lyricism.

KiD TRUNKS opened for Curry, playing songs like “IDK” and “Love Never Blossoms” while also showing appreciation for those in attendance by showering the crowd with water bottles.

To close his set, Kid Trunks paid tribute to former mentor rapper XXXTentacion by playing his song “SAD!” accompanied by footage of the  late South Florida rapper performing.

At this time, many fans tried to enter the pit. However, The Novo’s tight security presence prevented chaos-seekers from doing so by only admitting firstcomers with special wristbands.

Despite the strict security hindering entries to the pit, many decided to hop the barriers. The barrier-hoppers served as a testament to the thrill and mayhem of Curry’s music and arguably further enhanced the experience.

Curry’s performance was broken up into three acts analogous to  the three-act concept found on “TA13OO.” For the first act titled “Light,” Curry performed songs that had bouncier production and lighter subject material such as “TABOO | TA13OO,” “BLACK BALLOONS | 13LACK 13ALLOONZ” and “CASH MANIAC | CAZH MAN1AC.”

Curry’s set also included his older material, such as “Parents,” off his 2013 mixtape “Nostalgic 64.”

During this act, Curry presented visuals of pink cats, still clouds and eerie pictures of him smiling. As the show progressed into the acts of “Gray” and “Dark,” Curry’s visuals and music followed suit.

For his second act titled “Gray,” Curry performed heavier hitting songs with a darker visual transition. Scenes of Curry locked behind bars seemed to be an ode to Hannibal Lecter as Curry also donned the same mask in the visuals. At this time, Curry played songs such as “Sumo | ZUMO,” “CLOUT COBAIN | CLOUT CO13A1N” and “SWITCH IT UP | ZWITCH 1T UP” from “TA13OO,” along with “G**k” and “ULT” from his 2016 album “Imperial.” With the darker visuals and heavier production, Curry’s aggressive delivery of each verse was intense and well received by the crowd. It not only demonstrated Curry’s flow and lyrical prowess, but also his energy as a performer.

Curry’s third act, “Dark,” paired Curry’s most aggressive and heaviest songs with visuals of a twisted carnival, axe-wielding clowns and a bloodied Curry morphing into a twisted mime.

In this final act, Curry let his hair down, took off his shoes and pumped up the crowd for the finale. Curry’s final act was a wall of death, as audience members in the pit split themselves into two opposing sides and charged at one another when Curry gave the cue.

As the third act started to wane, Curry continued the tribute to XXXTentacion by performing two of his biggest hits: “Look At Me!” and “#ImSippinTeaInYoHood.” Despite the controversy surrounding the allegations against the late rapper of domestic abuse, most of the audience took part in respecting Curry’s tribute.

Curry quieted the crowd one last time and, to audible excitement, broke down into a dance from Fortnite before walking out. He showed love to his L.A. fans, commenting that his shows there are “always crazy.” If Friday night’s show was any indication, it’s only a matter of time before Curry returns to the city for another entertaining performance.